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ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Countryside and Rights of Way Act

Mr. Keith Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she intends to publish her Department's guidance to the Planning Inspectorate on the hearing of appeals against the inclusion of land on the maps of open country and registered common land under Part I of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. [98113]

Alun Michael: I expect to receive draft guidance for consideration shortly and wish to publish final text as soon as possible. The Planning Inspectorate Executive

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Agency will then deal with the appeals against the showing of land as open country or registered common land on the provisional maps issued by the Countryside Agency as quickly as possible. The Inspectorate has already published information to assist for appellants and third parties and these are available on its website.

Departmental Budget

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the budget from that allocated to her Department under the Department expenditure limit set in the comprehensive spending review of 2002 is for each year from 2001–02 to 2005–06 for (a) environmental protection; (b) water services; (c) support for the agriculture, food and fishing industries; (d) flood defence; (e) support for hill farming; (f) regional/rural development; (g) support for countryside and wildlife; (h) nature and forestry and (i) animal health and disease control, including payments for BSE, FMD, TB and other zoonoses, broken down by (i) resource and (ii) capital. [99288]

Alun Michael: The years 2001–02 and 2002–03 do not form part of the spending review 2002, so the requested information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Details of allocated budgets for 2003–04 to 2005–06 will be published in the spring 2003 departmental report. The information will include how budgets are allocated to deliver the Department's functions and objectives.

Farmers (Chorley)

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will visit Chorley to meet local farmers and the local NFU. [98228]

Margaret Beckett [holding answer 24 February 2003]: My ministerial colleagues and I are always pleased to receive invitations to meet those affected by the work and policies of this Department. As many of these meetings as parliamentary and departmental commitments allow are accepted.

Flood Management

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what provision has been made in the expenditure plans of (a) the Environment Agency and (b) her Department to cover the costs of flood management and defence arising out of the Government's plans for new development in (i) Ashford, (ii) the Thames Gateway, (iii) the M11 corridor and (iii) Milton Keynes and the south Midlands. [97637]

Margaret Beckett: The Department provides grant aid to the flood and coastal defence authorities—the Environment Agency (EA), local authorities and (in areas with special drainage needs) internal drainage boards to assist with their capital works to manage flood risk. However grant aid is not provided for defences to protect proposed new development, although it is possible for such development to benefit incidentally by defence schemes designed to protect existing assets. In such cases, authorities are expected to seek a commensurate contribution from the developer to the

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extent that he benefits from the public investment. No specific provision for new development has been made therefore, either by the EA or Defra. It should be noted that many of these developments, for example the Thames Gateway, will be defended to a high standard by existing defences which would anyway be subject to a renewal programme.

Hospitality

Mr. James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what hospitality has been offered at public expense in the last 12 months by each Minister in her Department to outside interest groups, broken down by (a) restaurants, (b) recipient and (c) cost in each case; [99591]

(2) what criteria Ministers in her Department use when determining whether to offer hospitality in restaurants to interest groups at public expense; and if she will make a statement; [99590]

(3) how often Ministers in her Department have received hospitality in restaurants from outside groups in the last 12 months. [99514]

Margaret Beckett: All offers of hospitality are made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in Government accounting. The giving and receiving of hospitality is conducted fully in accordance with the guidance set out in the ministerial code, and guidance on contacts with outside interest groups including lobbyists. The detailed information requested is not held centrally, and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Online Sales/Purchases

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) products, (b) goods and (c) services were (i) bought and (ii) sold online by her Department in each of the last five years. [97457]

Alun Michael: Information held centrally shows that Defra has no products, articles or substances that are manufactured, refined or adapted for sale. In 2002, the core Department began acquiring office stationery, IT consumables and paper online. The portfolio of goods and services available for purchase online is being expanded as part of the Department's e-procurement development and implementation programme.

In 2002, 1,217 e-IACS applications were received out of a total of 69,303 IACS applications. The 2003 e-IACS system goes live on 15 March so there are no figures for 2003 currently.

The number of new animals registered electronically in January 2003 was 60,710 or 31 per cent. of total new animal registrations. The number of animal movements notified electronically in January 2003 was 433,180 or 46 per cent. of total animal movement notifications. Overall, 42 per cent. of total livestock transactions are handled electronically.

At 8 January 2003, the Emissions Trading Registry had 769 account holders and 3,250 open accounts. Between April 2002 and mid-February 2003 there were 1,451 trades covering 6,170,474 allowances. The

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Research Policy and International Division of Defra use the Defra internet website to advertise research and development requirements.

The core-department makes electronic BAGS payments to its suppliers. These account typically for 78 per cent. by payments volume and 97 per cent. by value.

The Environment Agency has since the summer of 2002 conducted three electronic auctions for the provision of green electricity; office stationery; and photocopier paper. A further electronic auction for IT consumables is planned for March 2003. The Environment Agency also uses electronic ordering processes for IT hardware.

Sustainable Development Report

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs why copies of the Government's annual report on implementation of its policies on sustainable development were not available to hon. Members in the Vote Office on its publication day. [100118]

Alun Michael: "Achieving a better quality of life", the Government's third annual report on progress towards sustainable development in the UK, was launched on 24 February.

Copies of annual reports are not placed in the Vote Office as a matter of course, but the report was made available in the Libraries on the day of publication. It is also available on the Government's sustainable development website (http://www.sustainabledevelopment.gov.uk) and through the Defra website, and free of charge from Defra Publications on 08459 556000. I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of the document.

Waste Management

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 20 January, Official Report, column 559–60W, if she will publish figures available to date for the performance of local authorities against targets for waste recycling in 2002–03. [99361]

Mr. Meacher [holding answer 26 February 2003]: Data concerning the performance of local authorities against targets for waste recycling are collected on an annual basis. Such data are too extensive to be published in Hansard, but is available to the public via sources such as Defra Online.

Individual local authority recycling rates for 2000–01 are available on line and in Annex B of the Municipal Waste Management Strategy for 2000–01. Corresponding data for 2001–02 are currently being collected, interim national and regional totals will be published in April. Results for all individual local authorities will be published in the summer. Data for 2002–03 will be collected later this year.

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